PhD student’s goal is greater visibility for GSAS

In elections held last spring, Oliver Hauser, a third-year PhD student in organismic and evolutionary biology and a fellow at Dudley House, became the first GSAS student in recent memory to be elected to sit on the Board of Directors of the Harvard/MIT Coop Bookstore.

Hauser, who is also the web communications fellow at Dudley House, is a member of Professor Martin Nowak’s Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, where he examines the evolution of cooperation through a mathematical lens. Prior to joining Nowak’s team, he was an applied physics student at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

He is delighted about the chance to represent GSAS and SEAS on a board that is typically dominated by students at Harvard’s other graduate schools, or by MIT graduate students. “I hope to bring technical knowledge, innovative spirit, and GSAS pride with me to the Coop,” he says with a smile.

Hauser wants to influence the Coop to stock a wider variety of arts and sciences titles, he says. He also plans to increase the amount of GSAS apparel for sale, giving GSAS students their chance — one enjoyed by Harvard’s other constituencies — to show their affiliation and feel part of a community. “I plan to stand up and speak for GSAS in the next few years on the board,” he says.

And he also wants to make sure that GSAS students are aware of opportunities stemming from the COOP’s significant grant-making program. Thanks to its members, the COOP gives more than $200,000 to the Harvard and MIT communities, mostly in support of student groups and initiatives that apply for the support.

Contact Oliver Hauser with ideas or questions.